BLOG: Liverpool – a changing cultural narrative

Director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan standing in front of a Liverpool sign.

This year’s prestigious LGA Annual Conference will showcase the innovative work of councils, and Liverpool is taking centre stage. In what is expected to be one of the highlight talks of the conference, Liverpool’s Director of Culture, Claire McColgan will showcase just how the city’s cultural landscape has transformed over the past two decades. Liverpool’s … Read more

Study shows Liverpool led way in reopening big cultural events safely after Covid lockdowns

Liverpool researchers have authored a new study detailing definitive population-based evidence of risks of Covid-19 transmission around the early reopening of mass cultural events before restrictions were lifted. Liverpool City Region hosted the world’s first regional cluster of experimental reopening of mass cultural events after Covid lockdowns as part of the UK Events Research Programme … Read more

Opera, trains and submarines to star in Eurovision-inspired Cultural Festival

The first details of a two-week cultural festival – EuroFest – which will take over Liverpool in the lead up to The Eurovision Song Contest have been unveiled. Running from Monday 1 to Sunday 14 May, the festival will present 24 brand new commissions – 19 of which are collaborations between UK and Ukrainian artists … Read more

Liverpool to host Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Eurovision successful bid image

The Eurovision spotlight is set to shine on Liverpool after it was announced the city will be the UK host city for the world-famous competition. The European Broadcast Union (EBU) and the BBC have whittled the competition down from 20 cities, and today announced that Liverpool will host the event on behalf of Ukraine in … Read more

Liverpool is a shortlisted host city for Eurovision 2023

Liverpool remains in the running to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Liverpool – and six other cities – have made the shortlist as the potential host city for next year’s flagship event. Twenty cities submitted expressions of interest. The city has successfully sailed through the first part of the bidding process, with the BBC … Read more

BLOG: If all the world could be Prescot…

After visiting the brand new Shakespeare North Playhouse, Liverpool’s Culture Director, Claire McColgan MBE was inspired to write about how culture-led regeneration continues to lead the way. People talk about culturally led regeneration in terms of glib places around the country vying for a shiny thing to brighten up a high street or to halt … Read more

Unique City Council Project Scoops National Broadcast Award

Queen Victoria statue Derby Square dressed in a Gone With The Wind inspired dress

A Liverpool City Council cultural project has scooped a sought-after national broadcast accolade. Statues Redressed took gold in last night’s Broadcast Digital Awards in the Best Content Partnership or AFP category, pipping the likes of ITV’s Cooking With The Stars, Channel 4’s Cook Clever Waste Less and BT’s FA Disability Cup coverage to the title. … Read more

LIMF economic boost is music to Liverpool’s ears!

LIMF crowd shot

Taking place from Friday 29 to Sunday 31 July in a brand-new home, Liverpool International Music Festival can reveal the three-day event is set to generate nearly half a million pounds in revenue for the city. In a change to previous years, this year’s LIMF will see a city-centre takeover of around 25 venues and … Read more

Liverpool states its intention to host Eurovision

Liverpool Waterfront

Following the announcement that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest could be held in the UK, Liverpool has officially offered to host the event in solidarity with Ukraine. The European Broadcast Union has today confirmed it is looking for another location to be home to the competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. As England’s … Read more

Top Royal Honour for Liverpool’s Culture Director

Claire McColgan being interviewed by the media in front of The Beatles statue

Liverpool’s Culture Chief has been awarded one of the highest royal honours as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Claire McColgan has been honoured with a CBE in recognition of her achievements and services to culture and arts across the country. The honour has been bestowed as part of the Queen’s official birthday celebrations, … Read more

Events are back for 2022!

After more than two years of disruption, Liverpool’s events calendar is back with a new lease of life.  Culture Liverpool – the award-winning council team responsible for staging some of the city’s biggest events – is deep in planning mode to bring back some of the most loved events as well as some brand new projects … Read more

New role for culture boss

Culture Liverpool’s Claire McColgan MBE has been appointed to a new role in Liverpool City Council, as Interim Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods. The move is part of the changes to strengthen the council’s senior management team and deliver further improvements to the organisation, in the wake of the Best Value inspection. For the next six … Read more

Countdown begins to The Good Business Festival 2022!

The Good Business Festival is returning to Liverpool in 2022. Major brands and inspiring leaders from business, media, music and academia will be part of what is the world’s largest responsible business festival, formed around six showcase events across Liverpool City Region and culminating in three days of events running from 22 – 24 March … Read more

BLOG: Is Culture the New Petrol?

River of Light March 2021

Challenges with staffing, suppliers, delays in deliveries and legislation run the risk of turning culture and events into the next industry hit by post pandemic pandemonium. Director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan, reflects on a busy week for events in the city and praises a resilient, but weakened, sector. In Spring, Liverpool was at the … Read more

Have your say on the future of the city’s markets

Liverpool Markets

Liverpool residents, businesses and organisations are being urged to have their say on key Liverpool issues. As part of a new Mayoral approach, a consultation programme has launched today (Monday 11 October) which urges everyone to give their views on different aspects of Liverpool life – starting with the city’s markets offer. The ambition is … Read more

BLOG: Liverpool is a city which doesn’t need labels

Director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan, responds to the news Liverpool is no longer a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but says this great city doesn’t need a label. When Liverpool started the process of securing World Heritage Site status around 2001, it was during a time when the city was gearing up to be European … Read more

Government Publishes Events Research Programme Findings

The government has today (Friday 25 June) published its findings into the first phase of the Events Research Programme (ERP) – in which Liverpool played a major role. The ambition of the ERP was to understand how the risk of transmission can be reduced at large events when public health measures are introduced.   The study … Read more

Liverpool pilot events have no impact on Covid spread in the region

Liverpool Public Health officials and scientists have found the city’s pilot events did not cause any detectable spread of Covid-19 across the region. The city hosted four hugely successful events as part of the national Events Research Programme (ERP), with a total of 13,258 people attending The Good Business Festival, two nightclub events hosted by … Read more

Line-up announced for The Good Business Festival

The Good Business Festival today announces the speaker line-up for its launch event ‘Change Business for Good’, the first in-person, live business event without Covid measures happening in the UK since the first national lockdown in March 2020.  The Good Business Festival, a pioneering new global gathering in the Liverpool City Region, will host ‘Change … Read more